Santos 500 Agenda + Disclosure The future of the Port of Santos involves expanding operational capacity, reducing bureaucracy and training professionals prepared for an increasingly technological sector. held in the auditorium of the Santos Technological Park, in Vila Nova. During the meeting, representatives from the port sector, public authorities, innovation and Grupo Tribuna discussed the challenges surrounding the growth of the Santos complex and its impacts on the City, the economy and the job market. For the CEO of Brasil Terminal Portuário, Cláudio Oliveira, unlocking investments is one of the most urgent measures to guarantee the Port's competitiveness. According to him, the excess of steps and delays in processes end up directly impacting the development of the sector. “Perhaps the Brazilian port and logistics sector needs to have a kind of Poupatempo, something that makes the process easier, because it is complicated for us,” he stated. Oliveira also highlighted that the delay in expanding port capacity could lead shipowners to look for other alternatives. For him, this movement would bring harm not only to Porto, but also to the City and the workers. One of the examples cited was Tecon Santos 10, a container terminal planned for the Saboó pier. The project, considered strategic for increasing the complex's capacity, is still undergoing analysis and discussions while the Port operates close to its limit. "If everything goes well, and we still don't know when this will happen, it will take five years for this terminal to be operating 100%. It will probably already be born with the capacity taken. When the winner of Tecon Santos 10 is defined and the contract is signed, we must immediately think about the next terminal", he assessed. Infrastructure and planning The need to anticipate solutions was also defended by federal deputy Paulo Alexandre Barbosa. He cited the future third lane of Rodovia dos Imigrantes as an example of an important work, but which already requires planning for subsequent stages. “We are talking about a project that will end after 2030. Thinking about the future and knowing that Porto breaks records every year, when it is completed, we will need the fourth connection”, he stated. The discussion reinforced that the Port's growth needs to be connected to investments in infrastructure, mobility, logistics and urban planning. The participants' assessment is that Santos needs to prepare for the coming years with an integrated vision, capable of keeping up with the pace of expansion of port operations. Agenda Santos 500 + Disclosure Professional qualifications Another central point of the debate was the training of the worker of the future. In a scenario marked by artificial intelligence, automation and new technologies, participants argued that qualifications need to keep up with the transformations in the sector. The Secretary of Port Affairs and Employment of Santos, Bruno Orlandi, highlighted that technology directly impacts labor relations. According to him, technological advances can change existing functions, but also create new opportunities. "This impacts the work relationship and has to be accompanied, in fact, by a transition and qualification. There is the maintenance of some jobs and specific functions, but also the creation of other positions", he said. Orlandi cited as an example the partnership between Santos City Hall and the Santos Port Excellence Center Foundation, of the Santos Port Authority. The initiative resulted in the creation of courses aimed at specific demands of the sector. "We developed a course in port mechanics, a necessary demand in the area. We closed the first class and are opening the second, in addition to the first of electricians in the sector", he explained. For the secretary, in addition to preparing workers for current roles, it is also necessary to think about the professions that are yet to be created. In this process, the Santos Technological Park was cited as a strategic space to develop talent linked to innovation and technology. Transformation requires integration The Port of Santos Digital Transformation supervisor, Rogério Saran, stated that the changes necessary for the future of the Port and the City depend on the participation of people from different segments. According to him, it is necessary to encourage a culture of collaboration and take professionals out of their comfort zone. "Everyone will have to leave their corner, look around, expose themselves and interact. Before future professionals, many still in Elementary School 1, for example, we have improvement work in the minds of everyone who already works in this environment", he stated. For Saran, transformation does not happen just through technology, but mainly through changing the attitude of those involved. "We have to be non-conformist. There cannot be the comfort of doing things the way they are being done today. The Port and the City are us, the people. Change comes from them. This has a pressure that is impossible to contain. It will improve if the community participates", he highlighted. Innovation and educational territory In addition to the Santos Technological Park, the Armazém 7 Innovation Hub, opened in May in Parque Valongo and managed by the Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie, was also identified as an important part of this integration process between Porto, City, education and innovation. The Director of Administration of Instituto Presbiteriano Mackenzie, Eduardo Abrunhosa, stated that the hub plays an important role in the construction of an educational territory, connecting the pier with the City and stimulating new ways of thinking about urban and port development. "It is also about innovation. It is the construction of an educational territory, connecting the pier with the City, discussing interaction and urban integration, but with a deep axis. We have to investigate and bring answers to what happens around", he commented. Santos 500+ points out ways With the last meeting, the Santos 500+ project concluded a series of debates focused on the future of the City. Throughout the program, topics such as demography, job market, climate change, urban mobility, urban development, verticalization and Porto were discussed. For Grupo Tribuna's Projects and Institutional Relations Manager, Arminda Augusto, the meetings helped to gather clues about what needs to be done now so that Santos continues to grow with quality of life, economic development and better conditions for the population. “Especially if we understand that, yes, we will be a population with more elderly people, increasingly impacted by climate change and extreme events, with taller buildings and urban mobility challenges,” he stated. According to her, the next step is to transform the debates into more assertive responses for the short, medium and long term. "All the interfaces are known, but now we need to think about public policies that provide more assertive and efficient responses. There is a lot of work ahead, and I am very happy that we were able to bring together a good team of experts and managers to debate these issues", he assessed. Tribuna Group's Business Director, Demetrio Amono, highlighted that the project reinforces the Group's role in fostering strategic discussions for regional development. "It is our role to encourage this discussion and look ahead. The 500 years of Santos are knocking on the door, and we needed this discussion of what we need to do to mitigate risks and take advantage of opportunities to have more sustainable development", he stated.